Imaam Ibn Katheer rahimahullaah

His full name is Abu Al-Fida, `Imad Ad-Din Isma`il bin `Umar bin Kathir Al-Qurashi Al-Busrawi. He was born in 1301 in Busra , Syria (hence Al-Busrawi). He was taught by the great scholar Shaikh ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyya in Damascus , Syria and Abu al-Hajjaj Al-Mizzi , (d. 1373), main teacher of Ibn Kathir. Upon completion of his studies he obtained his first official appointment in 1341, when he joined an inquisitorial commission formed to determine certain questions of heresy. Thereafter he received various semi-official appointments, culminating in June/July 1366 with a professorial position at the Great Mosque of Damascus. Ibn Kathir wrote a famous commentary on the Qur`an named Tafsir ibn Kathir which linked certain Hadith , or sayings of Muhammad , and sayings of the sahaba to verses of the Qur`an, in explanation. Tafsir Ibn Kathir is famous all over the Muslim world and among Muslims in the Western world , and is one of the most widely used explanations of the Qu`ran today.

Ibn Kathir was renowned for his great memory regarding the sayings of Muhammad and the entire Qur`an. Ibn Kathir is known as a qadi , a master scholar of history, and a mufassir (Qur`an commentator). Ibn Kathir saw himself as a Shafi scholar. This is indicated by two of his books, one of which was Tabaqaat ah-Shafai`ah, or The Categories of the Followers of Imam Shafi .

In later life, he became blind. He attributes his blindness to working late at night on the Musnad of Ahmad Ibn Hanbal in an attempt to rearrange it topically rather than by narrator.

He learned from great scholars such as Ibn Asakir, Ishaq ibn Yahya al-Amudi and the great Ibn Taymiyyah who was extremely close to him. He also studied under various other sheikhs who gave him permission in fiqh and Hadith. He made many academic contributions to Islamic sciences. The following are amongst his most prominent:

1. Tafseer of the Qur’an
2. Al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah: a history of Muslims from Adam until Ibn Kathir’s time
3. At-Takmeel: a book on the science of Asmaaul Rijal (profiles of transmitters of Hadith)
4. Jami`ul Masaneed: a book that collects the Hadith from ten major books of Hadith
5. The classes of Shafi`ee scholars: a list of scholars following the Imam
6. Extraction of the traditions of Tanbeeh (a Shafi`ee book of jurisprudence)
7. The commentary on al-Bukhari (which he did not finish)
8. The book of laws (again, he did not complete it)
9. The summary to the science of Hadith; a synopsis to the introduction of Ibn Saah’s work
10. Extraction of the traditions to the summary of Ibn Hajib
11. Musnad of the two sheikhs (Abu Bakr and Umar)
12. Biography of the Prophet, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam
13. The epistle of Jihad

The author of Manhal says that Ibn Kathir died on Thursday, the 26^thof Sha`ban in the year 774 AH. May Allah be pleased with him.

Ibn Kathir died in February 1373 in Damascus.